Summary:The seventh studio album from the alternative rock band has Dave Grohl bringing in producer Butch Vig (of Nirvana's Nevermind fame) for its latest release.
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Record Label:RCA
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Add in a clutch of terrific songs that perfectly balance leader Grohl's gift for pairing earworm melodies with both chunky power-pop guitars and thrashy screamers and you've got the most vital, stem-to-stern enjoyable Foo Fighters album in quite some time.
If nothing else, Wasting Light is Foo Fighters' first generally good record in six years, solid from top to bottom without the filler that marred the band's early records.
Even after several listens there's little here to really strike a chord with the long-standing Foos fan. That's not to say it's poor - it's far from that.
rarely have i been so enthusiastic about an album as i have been for Wasting Light. easily the best record i have listened to in the lastrarely have i been so enthusiastic about an album as i have been for Wasting Light. easily the best record i have listened to in the last couple years. can't give it anything but a straight 10/10. well done boys you are well and truly back to your best. keeping rock alive since 1995!…Expand
OH MY DAYS, this album slapped me hard right on the face and gave me a bare mark on my face. This album is a head banging, rocking awesomeOH MY DAYS, this album slapped me hard right on the face and gave me a bare mark on my face. This album is a head banging, rocking awesome album I've ever heard in my life. I don't even know what to say anymore, This album is just great. I think you should buy this essentially, it's really up to you.…Expand
Best thing I have heard in the last couple of years. Also, their use of three distinctly different guitars is magic without feeling clutteredBest thing I have heard in the last couple of years. Also, their use of three distinctly different guitars is magic without feeling cluttered and messy.…Expand
The foo's are officially back on track with this brilliant album. Filled with raw rock intensity that their last few albums slightly lacked.The foo's are officially back on track with this brilliant album. Filled with raw rock intensity that their last few albums slightly lacked. Not bad for an album taped in a garage…Expand
There's a point during the Dave Grohl interview on the excellent documentary "Back & Forth" where he reflects on Foo Fighters position inThere's a point during the Dave Grohl interview on the excellent documentary "Back & Forth" where he reflects on Foo Fighters position in contemporary music with brutal candour. Invited to play at an awards ceremony he said "with all the boy bands, girl bands, dance acts, rappers and solo pop artists here does anybody know who we are, or are we the only "rock" band they know?" Grohl fully understands that the dreaded decline of rock music in popular culture has meant that even mainstream acts struggle to maintain commercial impact, and his band is one of a handful that carry the flag for an art form that means nothing to a large proportion of the music buying public. If the daylight is fading for a once dominant genre, then the fighting spirit of the Foo's and their determination to fire an urgent rallying call instead of just "Wasting Light" has resulted in their best recording in years.
Musically, the album has modest ambitions, trading on the big noise, hard and fast grunge/rock songs that built the foundations for their rise to prominence with the self titled debut and 1997's excellent "The Colour & The Shape". They play to their strengths, and this is aided by the re-introduction of guitarist Pat Smear who plays blasts of rhythm with un-compromising vigour. "Nevermind" producer Butch Vig keeps the arrangements simple, tempering the instrumental sound when Grohl needs to deliver more intense vocals and then increasing the layers to dynamic levels which burst through to some of the most potent choruses of the Foo's career.
The outstanding opener "Bridge Burning" may carry the signature frenetic rhythms of old, but the chorus carries the flow of QOTSA's "Go With The Flow". "White Limo" may be the most anarchic punk/metal track the band have ever created, but the joy of Grohl's distorted screams and the band's instrumental velocity is that they actually sound half their age, and in turn take the listener with them. "Rope" begins as pretty much standard fayre but as the song develops to the instrumental bridge Taylor Hawkins delivers one of his most skilful performances to highlight the guitar solo that accompanies him. Bob Mould's welcome vocal/guitar return for the melodic rock of "Dear Rosemary" reminds everyone how much Husker Du and Sugar influenced Foo Fighters and many other bands from the era. Both "Arlandria" and "These Days" are perfect examples of how Grohl continues to find a memorable chorus to fit the tempo of the song. It's true to say that after many years he now finds it easier to talk about Kurt Cobain and Nirvana's legacy, and on listening to "I Should Have Known", the inclusion of Krist Novoselic's thudding bass and the reflective lyrics that seem unforgiving for a true talent wasted, there's still a sense of sorrow, guilt and misunderstanding. The closer, "Walk", is as stirring as any of the great stadium anthems the band have recorded, and begs single release.
As the light begins to fade on the great era of rock music, and we finally succumb to processed rhythms, pro tools, samples, ass shaking and karaoke pop idols, at least Foo Fighters have delivered a late clarion call to remind us that all is not lost, and "Wasting Light" will be remembered as one of their greatest performances. http://hackskeptic.com…Expand
This review contains spoilers.
One of the best albums of the last decade and a fantastic album for any rock lover. This is one of those albums that you listen to all the way through every time. The songs feature simple and catchy riffs woven flawlessly into sometimes complex composition to make an extremely fun album that just plain rocks. I have never been much of a Foo Fan but one time hearing it made me go out and buy it. Nothing feels redundant or forced while everything feels natural and heavy. The Foo Fighters boiled and concentrated their sound to make what is, without a doubt, their best album to date. A point of constructive criticism is that all of the songs have the same guitar tone as if the amps and guitars' knobs were all superglued to a specific setting; but having three full time guitar players makes it very difficult for tonal changes. One mean harmonized guitar solo would have fattened the sound a bit more (i mean c'mon there are three!) and it would have been nice to hear bit more tonal flexibility, but in the end it just belongs in your collection.
p.s. i'd like to rate it 8.5 but for the sake of whole numbers i've rounded up!…Collapse
Another in a long list of formally phenomenal rock bands that is lightyears past their expiration date. If you're rocking out to this albumAnother in a long list of formally phenomenal rock bands that is lightyears past their expiration date. If you're rocking out to this album it's purely because you haven't heard that much music yet or you listen to music as background to your commute. I'd tell you what I think this album lacks, from the glossed-up production that Grohl said was going to be really raw but wasn't to the totally unoriginal everything but I won't get into that. I'll just let you know, from one fan to another fan, this is an album you're embarrassed you liked at one point five or six years down the road because you're not a teenager anymore and your horizons have been broadened.…Expand
